WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney on Saturday urged Europe to join the United States in promoting democracy in Iran and the Arab world, saying that democracy can deter terrorism.
"Helping the people of the greater Middle East to overcome the democratic deficit is ultimately key to winning the war on terrorism," he said in a speech in Davos, Switzerland.
At the same time, Cheney added, "Direct threats require decisive action," and he declared that the world’s democracies must send an "unmistakable message" that "the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction only invites isolation and carries great costs."
The vice president urged European states to create more deployable armed forces as a way to bolster their own security — and to assist in military and peace-keeping operations in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq.
Cheney spoke at the annual World Economic Forum, attended by 1,500 political and business leaders from around the globe.
He appeared to be using his address to try to ease trans-Atlantic relations that were strained by the Iraq war. But he also seized the opportunity to enunciate anew the Bush Doctrine of pre-emption, saying that military force must be an option against terrorists and regimes that harbor them when all else fails.
Cheney’s call for greater international support for democratic reforms came as the United States is hoping to persuade the United Nations to help with a smooth transfer of power in Iraq.
Cheney credited "quiet diplomacy" for Libya’s decision last month to abandon its unconventional weapons programs.
"We must confront the ideologies of violence at the source, by promoting democracy throughout the greater Middle East and beyond," the vice president said.
"Democracies do not breed the anger and the radicalism that drag down whole societies or export violence," he added. "Terrorists do not find fertile recruiting grounds in societies where young people have the right to guide their own destinies and to choose their own leaders."
"Our forward strategy for freedom commits us to support those who work and sacrifice for reform across the greater Middle East. We call upon our democratic friends and allies everywhere, and in Europe in particular, to join us in this effort."
Cheney spoke from the same podium where U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday warned against following the "laws of the jungle" in the quest for global security.
During a question-and-answer session following his speech, Cheney was asked whether he considers the United States an empire. The words on his Christmas card, the questioner noted, were a Benjamin Franklin quote: "If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?"
"First of all, that quote was selected by my wife," Cheney said, to laughter. "She should have to explain why it was on the Christmas card."
Cheney went on to say that he does not the United States as an empire.
"If we were to empire, we would currently preside over a much greater piece of the Earth’s surface than we do," Cheney said. "That’s not the way we operate."
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
